The Youthforia Debacle : Explained
It all started with a mysterious TikTok video by beauty influencer Golloria George. In the video, she reviewed what seemed to resemble black face paint, only for it to be the latest foundation by makeup brand Youthforia. In case you need a refresher (or you have little knowledge of it), the company Youthforia came about when its founder, Fiona Co Chan, appeared on Shark Tank in hopes of receiving a valuable investment for her startup. Investor Mark Cuban expressed the most interest towards Chan’s startup, and as a result, provided her a $400,000 investment for Youthforia. You would think with all of the success that Chan’s company experienced, that a controversy would never come into fruition. Well, all of that changed earlier this year.
The Date Night Skin Tint Serum foundation in shade #600 was heavily criticized by not just George, but by other beauty influencers, as well. Many people were quick to point out that the company, and overall the beauty industry, failed to uphold the accuracy of black women’s skin tone. Not only was this the issue, but the fact that Chan and the company’s representatives didn’t respond during the crisis shows that neither party understood the assignment.
Like George and other black influencers, the lack of diversity and inclusion within these products serves as a constant reminder that black women are mistreated and exploited. Another factor that plays into this is that the company failed to acknowledge the outcry of foundation lacking options for darker complexions. It wasn’t acknowledged until March of this year that the foundation expanded to 25 shades, although it added more fuel to the fire.
In a time of a crisis, the people of a company or public figure are expected to communicate with the public about the “what-if '' factor of solving the situation and to provide more clarification on the crisis. In Youthforia’s case, this turned out to be the complete opposite. The controversy arose in April, but it took Youthforia TWO months to respond in regards to the controversy. If that doesn’t make things any worse, the apology was necessarily an apology. In an Instagram post, the release stated that it’s their commitment to provide inclusive products, while also suggesting that customers visit their website to learn more about the values and roles within the company. I don’t know about you, but to me, this is one of the worst PR statements I have ever witnessed.
It goes to show that the company has yet to familiarize themselves with DEI principles and the importance of implementing them into the company and its products. It’s an ongoing problem among many beauty companies for showcasing a lack of diversity, while doing little to no effort in improving diversity. Although some brands, like MAC Cosmetics, have made it their mission to be more inclusive, it’s still a long way to go for everyone to jump onboard.
